Thursday, December 1, 2011

Feeling thankful and giving back

We put up the tree over the weekend. I know, we jumped the gun. But Luke is not off again until Sunday and we make it a family affair.

Watching my girls squeal and delight in seeing the decorations again and see their excitement actually got me all choked up. I felt suddenly overwhelmed and so incredibly grateful for all that we have. We are all healthy and happy and loved. There is a roof over our heads and food in the fridge and a regular amount of money coming into the bank.

I have known times without these blessings.

One of my most vivid memories as a child is that of my Mother crying her eyes out as we drove away from the house the bank took back. The house my parents built and loved. Luke and I also have a house that we bought in our early days together that was sold by the bank when we couldn't pay the mortgage anymore. There was a time when Willow was a baby where every dollar was hard fought and accounted for.

I remember when Harper was so sick and I wasn't sure if she was going to make the night, let alone the next December. I will never forget the greeny-grey colour of my Dad's face as he was being loaded into the ambulance after his heart attack. There have been times with both my parents and Luke's that hurtful things have been said from all parties that have taken time to forgive.

These are some of the reasons are why I'm involved with Community Blogging. I am so blessed in my life and am fortunate enough to be able to use what voice and time I have to be helpful to others. I am excited about our upcoming Christmas event(there are a few tickets left if you want to get involved!)and look forward to working with not-for-profit organizations, bloggers and companies to make a difference. You can get involved too.

This Christmas I'm really taking the time to be thankful and acknowledge where we have come from and how lucky we are. It's Christmas and I'm thankful.